Effects of early childhood education training and video interaction guidance on teachers’ interactive skills

Research has demonstrated that teachers working in early childhood education and care (ECEC) are proficient in offering emotional support to young children, but markedly weaker when it comes to instructional support. We conducted a controlled experimental study in the Netherlands, to investigate the effects of targeted in-service training on improving teachers’ instructional support. Teachers (N = 72) were randomly assigned to four conditions: an intensive early childhood education (ECE) training (N = 17), video interaction guidance (VIG) (N = 16), a combination of both training programs (N = 18), or a control condition with no training (N = 21). Teachers’ interactive skills were measured pre- and postintervention, according the scales of the Caregiver Interaction Profile (CIP). The ECE training improved the proficiency of teachers’ verbal communication and offering developmental stimulation. VIG proved to be effective in teachers’ fostering positive peer interactions between children. Intensive and targeted training can successfully improve the quality of teachers’ instructional support in ECEC settings, although more research on effective elements of professional development of ECEC teachers is needed

The effect of job-embedded professional development on teacher and student outcomes:A multi-level meta-analysis

The aim of this meta-analysis was to analyze the experimental research into the effects of job-embedded professional development (JEPD) for teachers and student outcomes. Our meta-analysis of experimental studies of the effects JEPD, included 20 studies (with 79 experimental comparisons) at teacher level and 19 studies at student level (with 34 experimental comparisons). Analyses of the studies, representing 2,062 teachers and 21,425 students, revealed a significant, medium-to-large effect size at teacher level (ES= 0.699, SE= 0.092) and a significant medium effect at student level (ES = 0.523, SE= 0.137). Effects for teachers were smaller in studies with a large sample size. Effects for students were positively related to the length of the intervention. The positive outcomes at teacher and student level support the implementation and expansion of JEPD programs across schools